Enniskillen Castle is stunningly situated beside a tiny Erne River bridge. Throughout their history, they have been strategically important, protecting one of the few routes into Ulster.
Hugh ‘The Hospitable Maguire,’ a member of the reigning Gaelic Maguires, is believed to have built Enniskillen Castle in the 1420s, almost 600 years ago. In 1439, the Castle is first referenced in the Annals of Ulster. It was besieged in 1593/4 and became the epicentre of Irish resistance against the English.
Enniskillen Castle was a Maguire stronghold until the end of the 16th century. In the early 17th century, Captain (later Sir) William Cole was appointed Constable of the Castle, and the site was rebuilt to include the unique Watergate.
In the late eighteenth century, Enniskillen Castle was converted into a military barracks, with new buildings built on the site. In the latter part of the twentieth century, the Castle became the site of two museums: the Fermanagh County Museum and the Inniskillings Museum.
